Lake Bled, Slovenia

Though we wanted more time in Ljubljana, we were headed into the mountains to Lake Bled.  A quiet and tranquil place, we set off to walk around the lake, even though it was threatening rain. A castle perched on the point above the lake set the scene. We strolled along the lakefront path, about a quarter of the lakeshore. We stopped at a dock to catch a boat to the island in the lake. Hand-oared boat service shuttled us to the shore, where there were 99 steps to take us to the top of the island. Legend has it that the groom must carry his bride up the steps for good luck in their marriage.

More gift shopping, a coffee stop, and then a discussion about returning to the shore.  Kate and Kevin brought their swim suits, so Ellen and I planned to catch the next boat back to shore carrying all of the gear.  Unfortunately for the swimmers, the distance was shorter than they thought, and the wait for the next boat was longer than we thought.  We found the intrepid swimmers shivering at the side of the lake. Kate, relying on the kindness of a friend, had borrowed a fleece.  They quickly changed into dry clothes behind a dumpster, and we took off at a brisk pace for the buses.  We got back in enough time to bolt over to a bakery to purchase bureks (coiled dough stuffed with meat or cheese) before we headed off to Venice.